Fratton Park, home of Portsmouth FC
Fratton Park, home of Portsmouth FC
Transfers

Portsmouth hope to take advantage of local connections as midfield gem heads out on loan

Dan Godfrey
Dan Godfrey

Dan is a sports writer and broadcaster, who wrote for Breaking Media Limited's club sites including Pompey News between May 2024 and May 2025. Graduating from the University of Huddersfield in 2018 with First Class Honours in Sports Journalism, Dan has worked with several EFL clubs, as well as with BBC Radio, talkSPORT and TNT Sports. He previously resided in Sydney, Australia, where he continued his career as a freelancer in various sports. Dan was born and raised in Portsmouth, comes from a Pompey-supporting family, and was in attendance at both of the club's FA Cup finals in 2008 and 2010.

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Portsmouth will be hoping to take advantage of the local non-league scene for the benefit of their squad as Reuben Swann joins Havant & Waterlooville.

As confirmed on Pompey's official website [9 August], Swann will gain a full season in the Southern Premier Division South whilst at Westleigh Park.

The 18-year-old signed from AFC Sudbury in the summer and impressed during the Blues' pre-season training camp in Croatia.

Head coach John Mousinho told the club channels: "Reuben is a really exciting prospect and we’ve been impressed by what we’ve seen of him in pre-season.

“This move will hopefully allow him to get some regular football under his belt during the forthcoming campaign and we know that he’ll be well looked after by Shaun North."

Portsmouth loan Swann to Havant

The host of well-respected non-league clubs around Hampshire and West Sussex has enabled Portsmouth in recent years to gather senior game time for their young players.

Swann is the latest of many to ply their trade down the road at Westleigh Park, and should benefit hugely at his tender age from a rise in the level he had been playing in last season following a taste of the professional game in pre-season.

Due to the lack of an Under-21 side or any professional development phase programme in Pompey's academy, the loan system is the most productive chance for youngsters such as Swann to progress whilst out of the current first-team picture.

The intention was always for the teenager to head somewhere local on a temporary deal where he can easily be monitored and guided [Andy Moon, 17 July], whilst continuing to train with Pompey at the same time as the Hawks.

Portsmouth recently released their squad numbers for 2024-25 and handed Swann the number 28 shirt, giving a brief signal as to how they hope he can work his way into Mousinho's reckoning in the future.

In other Portsmouth news, Andy Cullen admits the club expect to suffer "heavy sanctions" after this incident.

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Reuben Swann
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